Beyond Our Understanding

Psalm 33:1-5

1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.

2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!

3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

4 For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.

5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

I woke up recently and made the first cup of coffee for the morning. I sat down in my chair and began to read the 33rd chapter of Psalms. The beginning of this particular Psalm is a statement of worship and praise to God. It acknowledges who He is and what He does. It proclaims His love and fullness in the world.

I was so excited as I read what the Psalmist described, and I had to rejoice in what was said. I found great peace and comfort as I continued to read. Verses 6-7 make declarations as to His power-

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; He puts the deeps in storehouses.

I heard someone describe this world and all we see around us. The complexity of everything in the world and even our bodies cannot be described as some happenstance. Some believe that happenstance is what the world is and we are, to. Lets be honest with each other and admit that it sure takes a lot more faith to believe that than to believe in God. A definition of faith from Merriam-Webster is-something that is believed especially with strong conviction.

That definition should be used in this thought because it does describe how faith is a part of everyone's life. Of course, my faith is founded on my faith in God. That is where the writer found themselves as they wrote this Psalm. When you continue in verses 8-11, you read-

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

9 For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.

11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.

Now we know that all the earth should fear Him, but that most don't. I do admit to fear Him, but it is a reverential fear. I don't coward toward Him, but I recognize His majesty and His grace and conclude without question that He is God and I am not. He is my father and my Lord.

I shared with someone that in life, we have to understand what is happening with God. If you remember "Experiencing God", Henry Blackaby said that we look to see where and what God is doing and go and join Him. This is something for all of us, whether pastors, saints, or churches. It is very easy to be so heavenly-minded that we are no earthly good. We think what we are doing is for the Lord and His business, but in actuality, we're doing what we think we should do. Always seek Him in all decisions. Let God be God, He is really good at it.

We all have to be honest with one another. None of us understand much about what is happening around us. We have limited control of what occurs around us on any given day. Decisions made far removed from us personally can and do effect our lives on a regular basis.

So as I look back at this Psalm, I recognize and acknowledge who God is and I can find solace in verse 9-

9 For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm.

He has the whole world in His hands, and Psalm 24:1-2 ESV declares that truth-

1 The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

2 for He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

In God's Grace,

Elbert Nasworthy